Over the Hills and Far Away
by Redtail53
Summary: Alt!RotS/Original Trilogy. Book 1 in a three part series. While trying to defeat the Empire and reunite his family, Anakin finds the true meaning of the Chosen One. Rated T for safety.


**A/N:** Hey there. I'm back with a fresh rewrite of chapter one. This actually two chapters combined. Constructive crits are more than welcome, flames will be used to make popcorn.  
Oh and, just in case any one is silly enough to even think for one moment that I own Star Wars... you're dead wrong.  
And there will be no OCs for a looong while, yet.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**_  
"It seems what's left of my human side. Is slowly changing in me ... There is no turning back now. You've woken up the demon in me."_  
- Down with the Sickness - Disturbed

* * *

Mustafar.

The fiery hot air burned his lungs but he didn't care. This Jedi had betrayed him. His wife had betrayed him. The Jedi had betrayed him. They feared him. They held him back. They kept him from reaching his full potential. But Palpatine. He had been nothing but a friend to him ever since he was a child.

But he had thought the same about Obi-wan, too. And Padme. But they turned on him. They fed him lies – Obi-wan: the lies of the Jedi, and Padme: lies of love.

"Anakin! Let. Her. Go."

Reluctantly, he did and the limp form of his wife fell to the ground. A part of him was screaming but that part was dieing – decaying. But that part of him asked one single question, 'What have I done?'

"You turned her against me!" Vader screamed, to drown out the other voice in his head.  
"You have done that yourself." The two one-time brothers began circling each other.  
"You will not take her from me!" Vader's anger was as fiery as the planet they stood on.  
"You anger and lust for power have already done that," Obi-wan removed his cloak, "you have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind, until now... until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy."  
"Don't lecture me, Obi-wan." Vader said as the Jedi Master knelt down to check Pamde's vitals as she lay unconscious on the landing pad. "I see through the lies of the Jedi." he turned around the view the Mustafar landscape, such as it was. "I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, justice, freedom, and security to my new Empire."  
Obi-wan stood, the disbelief was clear on his face, "**Your** new Empire?"  
His voice was cold and calculating, not the voice of the boy he trained, "Don't make me kill you."  
"Anakin," his disappointment was clear, "my allegiance is to the Republic... to democracy!"  
"If you are not with me, then you're my enemy."  
"Only a Sith deals in absolutes." He unclasped his lightsaber, "I will do what I must."Obi-wan's lightsaber hummed, the familiar vibration would normally feel comforting - but not now.  
"You will try." Vader reached for his own saber and with a mighty cry of pure rage jumped and flipped in the air and landed to meat Obi-wan. Their sabers clashing, blue against blue in an explosion of white. A part of Obi-wan wished that this was simply a practice session, a friendly duel – but he knew: Vader was out for blood. His blood, and it was Obi-wan's task to stop him. But at what cost? The only way to stop him would be to kill him, but a part of him held to the belief that there was still some part of Anakin Skywalker left – that the boy he trained was still alive and well. But as the fight went on, and as they moved through the mining facility, Obi-wan began to loose hope.

Obi-wan dropped down onto piping below them and Vader followed shortly, the metal groaning in protest and bending under their weight. Obi-wan looked into the young Sith's eyes, no longer the radiant blue they used to be – now they were an angry mix of red and yellow. Obi-wan thought that he could still see a speck of blue – but it was gone. The two combatants picked their way across the beam, barely a quarter of a meter in width. Obi-wan glanced down at the young sith's footing, good so far – then he looked down at the lava below them, then back into Vader's eyes. Obi-wan frowned, something wasn't right. Was he tiring from this battle already? Sure the temperature of the planet overall was stifling, but Anakin had been through much worse and won many battles. He looked again, the boy's eyes were unfocused – Obi-wan frowned again, perhaps this was not the only battle Lord Vader was facing this night. Perhaps Anakin was fighting back as well. Obi-wan could only hope as he backed away as Vader came closer.

Vader swung his blade and Obi-wan parried it easily, and furrowed his brows as Vader began to loose his balance but regained it. He was breathing heavier now – he was tiring, quickly. Obi-wan's mind reached out to Anakin, cracking the bond they shared as master and padawan open again.

"...help..."

Anakin's voice was unmistakable, but broken and weak. He was losing, but so was Vader. Obi-wan frowned. So this was how it was to be. This is how he would be forced to live out the rest of his life – two beings, one the good man and friend and the other: a Sith Lord with nothing but hatred and vengeance and power on his mind, both having the misfortune of sharing the same body. Anakin had asked for help, and he was more than willing to oblige him.

Obi-wan watched Vader carefully as he advanced and Obi-wan took careful backsteps, "Anakin-"  
Vader growled and stepped forward.  
Obi-wan ignored the growl, stepped back and continued, "...listen to me, Anakin. You **are** stronger than him. If you can't win believing that, then think of Padme and your child." He paused and Vader growled again.  
Obi-wan smirked, no addressing Vader, "You will not win."  
Vader made a face something akin to a grimace and a smirk and a frown all in one, "I already have, my Master." And with yet another mighty cry he stepped forward to make and over headed strike at Obi-wan. The Jedi raised his blade to parry it, but Vader's footing failed – either from being blinded by his anger or Anakin's work at him – and he began to plummet to the lava below.

Obi-wan's left hand shot out and grabbed Vader's left forearm – not willing to give up on the young man just yet – Anakin was still in there. Obi-wan grunted as Anakin's full weight hung on his shoulder, made all the more difficult to hang on was the fact that Vader's halted downward momentum had turned into a swing. Obi-wan called on Force in order to not let go and began to move toward the ledge on the other side from where they had started. It wasn't far, only a meter or so. He could do it, and then he could pull Anakin- or Vader or whomever he was, up and out of danger.

He hoped that Vader was too busy reflecting on the fact that Obi-wan had just saved his life, and not still too intent on killing him right now. Obi-wan winced as the grip on his forearm tightened, and he wasn't sure if the young man was simply not wanting to be dropped or if it was something else... With a final grunt, he moved onto the platform and fell to his side, pulling the boy up with him. Vader grunted has he pulled himself up, but it was hard while he was fighting for control of his own body. He head felt like it was ready to explode with the same amount of force that it had taken to turn this moon into a hunk of broken, molten rock. His eyes were tight shut and once he felt himself on the ledge, he released the Jedi's arm and struggled to stand and move to ignite his saber again. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was amazed that he had managed to hold onto it, but the thought was short lived.

When Obi-wan had grabbed his arm, it had given Anakin strength he needed to fight again. Vader grunted as he dropped the hilt and grabbed his head instead – the pain literally bringing him to his knees and causing him to let out a muffled cry of pain. Obi-wan watched, still knelt on the ground where he had pulled Anakin's body up. Not sure of what was happening, but not willing to get too close – even if his saber had been discarded on the durasteel plating.

It seemed like hours, but he was sure it had only been minutes that he had been watching his old padawan writhe in pain. Obi-wan couldn't feel his pain, and a part of him was glad – the other part was worried. He had never seen Anakin like this – in this much pain. Each cry cut at his heart, like a lightsaber to his chest. He winced each time a pained cry escaped the boy's lips. He knew it was Vader who was crying out – that Anakin fighting back. But it brought little comfort. He knew that Anakin would be in pain as well. His cries got louder and came sooner and sooner and then it stopped. Obi-wan could only hear his own heart hammering in his chest. He stood up and walked slowly to his brother, who was now laying on his side curled up in a ball, his head tucked under his arms and his knees almost touching his chest.

Obi-wan could sense a change in him, and knelt down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder softly, "Anakin...?" The body shifted slightly, and his head came out from under his arms halfway – enough for Obi-wan to see his radiant sapphire eyes once more. Obi-wan could not help the small smile at seeing his eyes, and he sighed in relief.  
"...don't get excited yet..." Anakin's voice was raspy from the screaming and exhaustion, "'M not sure how long I can hold 'em off..." Obi-wan nodded, "Then we'd best hurry..." he said as he stood and hauled Anakin to his feet and they slowly made their way to the landing platform...

ooooooooooooooooooo

Stars passed quickly by as the ship traveled through hyperspace, away from the lava planet and toward Polis Mesa where Master Yoda would be waiting. No doubt he had finished on Courscant by now and Obi-wan was left with the bad feeling that he had failed in destroying the newly self-appointed Emperor. Obi-wan sighed and hung his head, not once sparing a glance at the protocol droid at the helm. Looking at it would bring back to mind the young man somewhere on the ship, no doubt tearing himself to bits – but it was oddly quiet. Obi-wan was used to hearing some type of friendly banter from his younger brother, he was also used to Anakin jumping into the pilot's seat, ready to take off – but he never came close. Obi-wan had gone ahead to make sure that C-3P0 was already at the controls after checking on Padme – something the Anakin, he now noticed, had failed to do. He had missed the pain and fear in his brother's eyes as he held himself back from his sleeping wife. The Jedi Master rubbed his bearded chin as blue eyes stared out ahead of the ship. The urge to go back and check on Anakin was too strong to ignore, so he stood and began searching out his brother.

How could this happen...  
How did he miss the signs...

It didn't matter anymore. Anakin sat on the floor of the ship, his back against a far wall in a secluded part of the ship. His face buried between his knees and his arms so that only the hair on his head could be seen. He took a shaky breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm himself. He had paused when him and Obi-wan had reached the spot where Padme had once lain back on Mustafar. He felt himself shutter as he tried to block out the memory of what Vader had done to her. His old Master half carried him to the top of the ramp, and then Anakin had waved him off – saying that he could take care of himself. He knew Obi-wan hadn't been convinced, but left for the cockpit regardless.

Anakin had avoided Padme since and secluded himself in one of the deepest parts of the ship. He wanted to see her, but his fear held him back. He had already hurt her once, he was afraid that he would loose control again – and cause her worse harm than before. He buried his head deeper as the memory assaulted him again. He choked on a broken sob, as the realization came to him of what he had almost done...

...and what he had done. The terrible crime that he had committed.

The Jedi - the younglings, the Knights, the Masters... he had killed them all. He had blood stained on his hands and nothing would ever wash it off. So lost was he in his own mind, his own pit of despair that he never heard Obi-wan's soft footfalls on the durasteel plating as the older Jedi sensed the younger's state of mind and came to his side. The dam around Anakin's emotions burst as soon as Obi-wan gripped his shoulder, and his heart shattered into a million pieces for the lives he had taken. Obi-wan pulled Anakin into a strong embrace and Anakin shook, unable to control his emotions. Obi-wan had never been one to show emotion like this, he was a Jedi, and the Jedi had no attachments... except Anakin. And perhaps himself, too. Obi-wan loved Anakin as any one would love a younger brother. And right now, Anakin needed him. Even though Obi-wan wasn't thrilled by the fact that his outer tunic was now tear-stained – and Force forbid... snot-stained. Obi-wan allowed a small bit of amusement at that, but it didn't last long.

The room was silent except for the occasional sound of Anakin choking back a sob. Anakin slowly pulled away from Obi-wan and rubbed his face with his hands, and sighed heavily. Obi-wan kept a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Feel better?"  
Anakin chuckled halfheartedly, it forced and painful, "No." Both remained silent for a long time. Seeing Anakin likes this, this broken and beaten, "What have I done..." Anakin's voice was low and raspy.  
"Anakin," Obi-wan gripped the other man's shoulder to grab his attention, "Anakin, look at me." Anakin sighed and slowly looked up at Obi-wan. "You need to stand up, and let it go. The Jedi need you. The galaxy needs you." he looked Anakin in the eyes, "Padme needs you." Anakin scoffed, "I killed the Jedi, I helped create the Empire and..." His voice hitched in his throat and his jaw clentched, "I-I could have killed Padme."  
He stopped, his breathing increased and he began to shake, "I killed them..." he pushed himself further into the wall behind him, willing himself to melt into the durasteel. Obi-wan moved to kneel in front of him and gripped both his shoulders roughly. "Anakin! Get a hold on your emotions! I'm not about to let you wallow in self pity. This is not the Anakin Skywalker I know."

Anakin shook his head, "You were right... Sidious has been manipulating me from the beginning. I don't even know who I am." He looked Obi-wan in the eyes, the fear and confusion burning in his Sapphire eyes, "How can you be so sure of who I am?"

For a moment, Obi-wan was at lost for words. And Anakin buried his face in his hands again. Then Obi-wan remembered, "I know the nine year old boy that Qui-gon found on Tatooine. The boy who risked his life in a pod race to get us off planet. The boy that helped deactivate the droid army on Naboo – ending the Separatist Blockade."  
"I was a child."  
"Yes. You were. But, I know you Anakin. You are not the type of person to just give up."

He was right, he knew. But Anakin had never done anything like this before... or had he? His mind flashed back to the Tusken camp – how he had slaughtered them all. But he had moved on, even if the act had been eating him up inside. He took a deep calming breath and pulled himself to his feet. He still felt sick when he thought about what he had done, but he choked the rising bile down and looked at Obi-wan who had also risen to his feet. The elder Jedi put a hand on Anakin's shoulder, "Are you okay?"  
He shook his head, "No. I...I won't be. Not for a long time."  
Obi-wan nodded, then looked up as a light blinked, indicating they were about to drop out of hyperspace. Anakin spoke, "Go. I- I want to check on Padme..."  
He nodded again and reluctantly headed towards the cockpit.

ooooooooooooooooooo

He felt the ship touch down on the platform. He had no idea where they were, he had never asked Obi-wan. He didn't really care either. He ran a gentle finger down the right side of Padme's face, and he sighed. His eyes traveled down to her neck, there were no marks – but he knew that not so long ago she had struggled for air. His jaw clenched, angry at himself for letting himself be so blind to Palpatine's tricks.

Anakin froze, he could sense Master Yoda here. He felt his stomach knot and sharp shiver race up his spine, he couldn't face him. Not after the terrible acts he'd committed. He felt Obi-wan come up behind him and he looked over his shoulder at him, "Where are we?"  
"Pollis Mesa." Anakin nodded and looked back to Padme, as Obi-wan spoke again, "How is she?"  
"Still hasn't woken up."  
Obi-wan nodded, "Yoda's waiting for us."  
"He knows I'm here." It wasn't a question, Anakin already knew the answer. "I can't face him."  
Obi-wan nodded and Anakin stood and moved to the side, "Take her, I'll stay here."  
"You can't hide in here forever, Anakin."  
"I know."

Obi-wan picked Padme up and turned to Anakin once more, who nodded and waved him off. As Obi-wan left, Anakin sat on the bio-bed his wife had occupied just moments before. He touched the sheets with his left hand – they were still warm. He gripped the sheets in his hand and then released the crumpled sheets, left and headed towards the cockpit.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Jedi Master Yoda watched as Obi-wan carried and unconscious Padme down the ramp. His ears drooped at the sight of her. It pained him to see her like this, and Yoda had the feeling he knew the cause... who was not present, "Where is Skywalker?"  
"Still in the ship," he shifted his weight, "We need to get her to the healers."  
Bail Organa stepped forward and motioned towards the base entrance, "This way." Obi-wan ran ahead of Bail and the two jogged towards the medical facility, leaving Yoda alone with the ship... and Skywalker. The three-foot Master tapped his gimer stick on the ground once and then started slowly towards the ship's ramp.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Anakin sat in the pilot's chair staring out at the stars, trying his best to think about anything- anything but the past day or so. He thought about when he was child, but that just brought back more bad memories. He tried thinking about his time as a padawan, but that too failed. He sighed sharply. This was fruitless. Everything he thought about only reminded him of either the state that Padme was in, or the unnerving fact that Palpatine had manipulated events in his life leading to him becoming the old man's new apprentice.

He pounded the console in frustration – fortunately for the innocent controls, it wasn't his right hand. Sighing, be brought his hand up to look at it, it would bruise tomorrow, not that it mattered – and he let his hand fall in his lap.

As he sat there, he decided to think about nothing. Maybe that was safer. He succeeded too, for a while anyway. It was the sound of soft clicks and the odd tap of a cane on the floor that caught his attention, and he inclined his ear toward the sound.

Yoda.

Anakin visibly sunk in his chair, like if he got low enough the Grand Master would fail to see him and he would move on. His heart pounded in his chest, his anxiety nearly over whelming. He tried to steady his nerves with a deep breath, which helped slightly. He shouldn't be feeling like this to begin with. He felt like a child confronted by his disappointed father.

"Disappointed I am." Anakin's jaw clenched, and he found himself unable to defend himself. He swallowed hard and whispered, "I know." Yoda didn't feel that he fully understood his disappointment, but he did understand the ramifications of his actions. "Defend yourself, do yo?"  
The young man breathed, "No. I-" his voice cracked and he swallowed,"I know... what I've done."  
"Regret it, you do."  
"Yes, Master," he froze, had that been automatic? Should he even consider Yoda his Master? He didn't know anymore. Wasn't sure of anything.  
Yoda was silent for a long while, and after a few moment – Anakin began to feel uneasy. Was he suppose to say something? A confession? If so, he wasn't sure he could bring himself to say anything aside from the robotic one word answers.

Guilt was a strong emotion right now. As well as disappointment in himself. He was better than this – he knew he should have been. He lowered his head but not completely in shame, he could feel a headache coming on, like something pounding on the walls of his mind. What was happening to him, what _had_ happened to him? He couldn't live like this, constantly fighting his own darkness – but he wasn't being left with any choice... was he?

Yoda seemed to sense his discomfort, and tapped his cane on the floor to grab Skywalker's attention. His head snapped up at the sound, momentarily startled by the unexpected sound. The man relaxed but he still couldn't look Yoda in the eyes. His shame was still too great. But he still needed answers. Anakin breathed deeply to steady his nerves and he finally turned in his chair to face the tiny Jedi, "Master... what's happening to me?"  
Yoda looked back for a moment, thinking on the young man's question, "Hmm." it occurred to Yoda, that he didn't know – but he knew how they could find out. "Know, I do not." he lowered his ears in some form of sympathy, then raised them again, "But find the answers we shall."  
Anakin felt a trickle of hope, but he was still cautious, "How?"  
The half-meter Master simply turned and began to hobble away. But when Anakin didn't move, he stopped to look back at the human, "Come." he said shortly, then began making his way off the ship.

Anakin sat there for a moment longer, wanting nothing more than to remain here on the ship. But Obi-wan was right. He couldn't hide here forever...

And he was no coward.

_TBC_


End file.
